Sunday, July 31, 2016

I went away on a getaway trip to Hong Kong for 4 days before I returned to start on solo-parenting duties for 2 weeks. The getaway trip sounds like a sweetener ? But I was really thankful to Don for that.

These two weeks, I think I am more efficient than before. I could cook more frequently as compared to days Don was around. Part of the reason is also due the fact that I did not want to "fight" against a cranky Vera in public should she insisted on having her way. I find it pretty draining on myself, hence, I decided to make plans for homecooked meals whenever I can.

One of the days, Xav requested for a beef burger. I always bring him to "Build your own burger" at MacD and it costs me like $12- $15 each meal, depending on what he added in. I decided to give it a try and build our own burger at home.

What I did was to marinate the wagyu beef patty with some seasoning and pan fried it. You decide if you want it fully cooked or half done. I find it pretty nice and NOMU have a range for seafood and other variety.

Method:
1. Slice the tomatoes and cucumber, set aside.
2. Cut the mini burgers into half, spread a little butter and pan fried till it's slightly crispy at the edges.
3. Pan fry the marinated beef patty.
4. Build our own burgers with as much ingredients as we want.

For the busy mamas, I guarantee this is fast to prepare, easy to cook and definitely more easy on the pocket.

Verdict: Xav loved it of course and he requested for caramalized onions to go with it the next round! The patty was tender and juicy. We are going to get it again the next round !

Saturday, July 30, 2016

Dark eye circles, oily t-zone, dry cheeks, dull looking skin, enlarged and clogged pores ... you name it, I have it! If you remember my post on Womb Care Therapy by Supreme Q.X. Beauty Spa? Always remember that your organs' health and hormones affects our outlook. Hence, work on the internal first! When you are healthy on the inside, the glow and radiance will show on your face.

Before I went for a short trip (to be blogged later), my face was given a treat to Supreme Q.X. Beauty Spa's Ice Secret Pure Radiance Treatment.

At the salon, I requested to try out the trial session of Gua Sa Eye Treatment for Dark Circles @ trial price, #Notsponsored, as my eye circles were really bad from the nightly interrupted sleep, at least for the past 2 months due to Vera's eczema (unfortunately she is still flaring but not as bad as this).

I have always believed that Gua Sha helps improved blood circulation which could help to lighten and improve the appearance of my puffy, panda-eyes. Click on the picture below to enlarge. Do you know that our eye health is connected to our various internal organs?

Guasa is a form of alternative therapy originated in China whereby a smooth edged device is used to scrap on the skin surface. It can even help with allergies. Hence, I was opened to give it a try.

As the therapist worked on my eye (left), the first sensation I felt was aching kind of pain at a spot below my brow bone which was also the same spot which I always pressed on at home when my eyes felt very tired when she did for the initial round. Subsequent rounds got much better.

I felt and saw immediate effect, my left eye felt lighter, eye bag was less puffy, fine lines were gone, dark circles were lightened and the area seemed to be more hydrated. Definitely, this technique won me over.

Back to Ice Secret Pure Radiance Treatment, I requested for half of my face (left) to be worked on first, so as to allow me to personally see how effective the treatment was. Treatment was as usual, began with cleansing and exfoliation of dead skin cells.

This Ice's Secret Multi-power device, a unique patented technology from Japan, was one AMAZING tool ! It helps to detox the body and has lymphatic drainage function by working on the body’s natural electric waves, drawing out the toxins from the face and then to be processed and eliminated by the lymphatic system.

To help with renewal of cells, the therapist had used Ice's Secret Multi-power device along side with the hyaluronic acid ampoule on my face. I only felt some stinging sensation on my lower jawline where extraction had been done earlier to clear the clogged pore. Other than that, I only felt like my face was being massaged with the device. Initially, I thought that most likely, I would not be able to tell any difference on my skinny face. But look! See my LIFTED left cheek !!

The treatment was followed by a manual hand massage on my face and neck to further promote the drainage of toxins along the lymphatic nodes and ending off the pampering treatment with a layer of the pure radiance mask.
I dare say, when the session was only half done, the result was significant! I was also given a sample tub of Ice's Secret Pure Radiance Mask. This exclusive and luxurious overnight mask supports skin's natural defense mechanisms and repairs cell damage. Sounds great for my poorly maintained complexion.

What is in this mask ? Basically, it contains a unique blend of natural plant extracts, to help brighten and plump up our skin. Free from harmful addictives and preservatives, it is safe to use and it could also dramatically improves the clarity of the skin with the benefits from these key ingredients:

Besides brightening up our skin, it prevents cell aging, balanced out uneven skin tone, reduces the appearance of fine lines, lighten hyperpigmentation, acne marks as well as under eye circles ! Sounds like the perfect mask for me as unfortunately I have the problems of all the above that Ice's Secret Pure Radiance Mask could help.

And the best part is, for friends who know me well enough, I am a typical lazy person who dislikes complicated facial care routine. Ice's Secret Pure Radiance Mask can be used on it's own or over a serum to nourish the skin cells, thus boosting the overall improvement of skin's health. The light cream texture allows maximum skin breathability and it can be applied as a sleeping mask without having to wash off. How awesome for the lazy me! It can even be used under eye area, neck, under arms, bikini areas or any part of the body with dark pigments.

Verdict of the treatment: I finally see my face "alive" again with the radiance. Usually my face looks dull and tanned just like the picture below.

Me (On the right) This was a "Before" photo taken at a roadshow before I went for the facial treatment.

but after the treatment, I took a close look and saw that beneath my tanned skin, I saw that the colour of my face looked so much better with a tint of rosy red beneath when blood can circulate better and my facial contour looked so much better with the lifted cheeks! I'm totally loving it! I am telling you, I have decided to go back for more treatments!

On 1st August 2016, Supreme Q.X. Beauty Spa is opening its second outlet – the very first luxurious art spa in Singapore! The new art spa is an upmarket luxury thematic spa, catering to the clients who are looking for dedicated attention, quality products and services. Supreme Q.X. Beauty Spa is highly sought after TCM skills melded with their spa treatments. I cannot wait to share with you more on their opening day!

Should you love to experience this awesome treatment yourself, go ahead and book an appointment for a treatment at trial price when you quote "Blogger Serene".

Friday, July 22, 2016

During the June holidays, the folks from Alive Museum Singapore were nice to invite us over for some fun! Opened in 014, Alive Museum Sg is the world's best 4D museum. Located in the heart of the city and is conveniently accessed to by public transport.

If you have drama-mama traits, love to take weird and funny pictures, this is a place not to be missed! I even brought my dad along and surprisingly, he gamely took the pictures along with me with those expressions of his which I do not get to see often.

If I could get nice shots of everybody, it is definitely a bonus. Now that Xav is 8, it can still be pretty challenging to get him to look at the lens but most of the time, I could get decent shots of him. But Missy Vera is a bigger challenge, it depends very much on her mood to stay put on the spot, look at my lens and give me her sweetest smile. You might be hearing a crazy woman calling out repeatedly somewhere around you like a broken recorder "Vera, Vera ! Look at the lens!

Alive Museum Singapore is made up of 3D art, Digital Art, Object Art. I have read in some other blogs and realised that the museum had new additions added in for more photo opportunities!

The big baby!

My mer-boy !

Certain areas, I find it pretty challenging to take pictures as I was confused by the floor indicators. Wondering if its just me facing this issue.

Trying to balance up the muscles for both arms.

Amongst the Object art, I love this picture below much! It was like finally, I managed to catch up with the kids and have the photo taken. Vera was cranky right from the start. My guess was she could not stand being inside a room (especially so when comes to some photo spots which were not as brightly lited) and not to mention that she would stay put in her pose to allow me to capture a picture of her. No way she would entertain me this way. Oh well, that's my missy.

I thought that the headless figurine was pretty scary but found it hilarious to see my head in the washing machine.

Young @ Heart Zone (New addition)

Xav's in a magazine

LIVE. LAUGH. LOVE Zone (New addition) Another favourite shot of us. This is really rare to have all in the picture again. Love the equation: Daddy + Mummy = Xav korokor and Cranky Vera who was trying to cry her way out.

Terms and Conditions :
- Contest runs from 22 -28 July 2016 and ends at 2359 hours.
- Contest is for residents residing in Singapore only.
- Any incomplete entries will be disqualified.
- Winners will be contacted via email and have 24 hours to respond before a new winner to be picked again.

If you cannot wait to visit, for a limited period, there will be a 40% off for both adult and child tickets. Admission rates (Sgd) :
Child (3 to 12 years old) : $20
Adult : $25
Family Package (2 adults + 1 Child) : $60
Additional Child : $10

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

You read about my experience to Kidzania Singapore ? Personally I feel that it is more suitable for pre-schooler and above and they will appreciate it more. So what about the younger children?

The City may be familiar to some mums or it might sounds like a new place for new mums with young toddlers. If you have heard about The City @ Liang Court, families staying in the East of Singapore can now rejoice over the opening of a spanking new outlet @ I12 Katong ! The barely one month old outlet drew a pretty good crowd when I visited!

For young toddlers or children below 5 who love to pretend play, I would think The City would be a better option to start them off with as the little ones do not need to stay in queue. The pretend play does not limit the children to just stay in that area.

Cashiers, Grocer, Doctors, Nurses, Policeman and even Super Heroes with the outfits made available at different stations without having to bear with the long queue!

Here's one cool Captain America checking out the supermarket!

Spotted him at the nearby café drooling over the bakes!

Simply dress up in your favourite Superheroes or characters!

This area allows the children to build with gigantic, colourful foam blocks !

For a change of role, he decided to be a police officer next and roamed around on his "car".

Mr Policeman on patrol !

Meanwhile for being someone who loves to pretend play, The City is great for the coming 3 year old Vera! I brought her into the clinic area. But she was not interested to treat the dolls and made her escape to the streets.

Caught her still in doctor's coat with an orange balloon instead.

Yes, she saw food and transform herself into a cook, learning some life skills on serving, skewing "food" chunks into the wooden skewers to heating up a croissant in a microwave. My little cook here could be probably be more concern and happier if the croissant could be eaten!

Ready to serve !

My happy server

At times, she preferred to be a customer, sat down and "savour" her food. By the way, she is a food lover in reality.

Supermarket was her other favourite station. You could spot vegetable that looked so real for the little shoppers to shop.

Vera got to see how a durian looked like !

Even the Superheros did their grocery shopping and was telling each other the secret of staying fit and healthy is to eat more bananas perhaps? =p

She went along to shop her favourite bananas and carted them into cute, child-size shopping trolley.

One thing I like about the supermarket section was, they used recycled packaging to display on the shelves. I feel that it was great to for the children to associate with real life items.

Vera was at a point carting cartons of milk into her trolley,

Vera, the happy shopper !

then I guessed she changed her mind and I observed her to be putting them back to the same category instead of chucking them onto other shelves.

There was a Post Office but I hardly see kids in that space. Perhaps the stamps and envelops could be re-stationed over there? Or have someone to explain to them the task of a postman would be great.

Parents can rest at the resting area while the kids are at play.

The City, let the kids' imagination run and play! There is no restriction on how they should play! A great place for the parents and kids' to bond over role playing!

Thank you The City @ I12 Katong for having us. We had a blast until both Xav and Vera were so reluctant to leave the place! We will be back !